Julie Blanks Fitness

Friday, September 12, 2014

Happy happy Friday, friends! I'm so happy the weekend is (almost) here. For some reason, this week has seemed sooo long. I am excited for fall weather this weekend, and to do typical fall things like make chili and drink pumpkin spice lattes. ;)

I found this at Schnucks, and I was way too excited! Mmmm!

So, the week's fitness and food has been pretty great, especially fitness! Here's what I did: Backing up to Saturday, I taught PiYo twice, the first time I've done Lesson 35 back to back. It was awful/great. SO f'n hard. I absolutely LOVE this workout, though, and I LOVE my playlist, so it was mostly awesome! :)

I wore my stripe Wunder Under crops, and my black No Limits tank. I couldn't be without SOME pink, so I wore a pink headband. ;)

Saturday afternoon, I definitely needed a nap. We ended up going out for some drinks Saturday evening, so I was very glad I had gotten some sleep earlier in the day!Sunday I went to my first hot yoga class of the season! (I can't stand to do hot yoga in the summer.) It was SCORCHING hot, I think around 100 degrees, in the studio, and the workout was AHHH-mazing! I don't think I have ever been that sweaty before. (Seriously.) It was glorious!

I wore these new-to-me Paris Pink Wunder Under crops and my matching No Limits tank. This was a perfect functional outfit for hot yoga. I didn't have to do much adjusting or think about my clothes much at all.

Monday was Turbo, per usual. I taught an old school Round 36, which is one of my absolute favorites. It's amazing how much Turbo has changed over the years, but I still love this one! So much core work! It was really fun!Tuesday I taught PiYo, and I was SO sore from Monday's Turbo, my abs were screaming! We did Lesson 35, which my class is ROCKING, and it's SO hard, I absolutely love it!

Did my yoga pose of the day after class and got this cool shot!

Wednesday I got up early and ran two miles, HIIT-style. I did 1-minute sprints, followed by 1-minute of walking. It goes by so fast that way! I also taught PiYo in the evening. WHEW!

It was a great run!

Thursday I ran again, 4 miles at a pretty easy pace, and did some stretchy yoga when I got home. I jammed to some awesome tunes, so it was fun!

I wore my Lulu run crops and this fun top from Fabletics!

Today (Friday) is my REST DAY, and I am so glad! I really need it. :)Next week will probably be more of the same! When the weather is cool, I really get excited about running!Here's what I have planned:Saturday: Double PiYoSunday: Hot yogaMonday: Turbo!Tuesday: PiYoWednesday: HIIT run (20 mins) or RIPPED + PiYoThursday: 4-mile run, easy yogaFriday: REST

I am so excited hot yoga has started again and looking forward to more focus on that! What about you? What's your plan for the weekend? Got any good workouts on deck?! Tell me!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Hello, friends! I'm finally back for another Fashion Friday post, after (yet another) long hiatus from blogging. (Stay tuned next week also for some fall goals I'm working on, and some usual workout/recipe ideas!)

For this week's Fashion Friday, I decided to do a Stitch Fix review, since I just got one on Tuesday! I am not sure why I've never done this before, since this is my 9th Fix, and I am totally obsessed! It's so much fun having my own "personal stylist" to help me pick outfits! All I did was fill out an online style profile, link them to my Pinterest style board, and voila! The styling fee of $20 isn't too bad, and then you get $20 off your order, if you decide to keep something. (I always keep at least 1 item!) You can also set your price range, and make specific requests.

For this month's Fix, I requested skinny jeans, and outfits I could wear for my upcoming engagement photos.

Without further ado, here are the items I received, and my thoughts on them!

This pic shows 2 items: the Missy Polka Dot blouse ($58), and the Mavi Alexia skinny jean ($118). I loved this blouse, BUT, I had Googled it before I got it (sometimes you can see online the names of items you're getting, before your package is delivered), and in the online pics, this blouse was mint, so my first reaction upon seeing it was disappointment (I REALLY love mint)! But the fit was pretty close to perfect (slightly tight across my chest, but not bad), and you know I love polka dots! This one was a maybe.

The skinny jeans were navy blue. I had requested colored skinny jeans, so this wasn't quite what I had in mind. Plus, they were way too tight. Definitely a no.

When I pulled this Corra Fit and Flare skirt ($64) out of the box, I thought, OMG! This is so cute! It was also super cute on the style card that comes with each outfit. However, when I put it on, I felt like it was way too fluffy, and the length is all wrong on me. I look like a teapot in it! Another no.

When I saw that I was getting two "fit & flare" dresses, i was really disappointed. I didn't think I liked the fit & flare style at all. But I always try on EVERYTHING, so I put on this navy Malley Scoop Neck Fit & Flare dress ($64) anyway, and... I LOVE IT! The fabric is super stretchy and nice. The dress feels very expensive! Another maybe!

This is the Rhona Lace Fit & Flare dress ($54). This one was tough to zip (had to get Rowan to help me) but really cute once I put it on. This dress would be perfect for engagement photos, actually. I put it on the maybe list as well.

I was really surprised in this Fix-- I really loved both dresses, and I didn't expect to at all! In the end, I only wanted to keep 2 things, and since I already have PLENTY of flowy blouses, I ended up keeping the 2 dresses! I wore the navy one yesterday, and styled it pretty simply:

Some sandals, my fave anchor necklace, and I had a dark brown sweater for chilly office air conditioning! The dress was super comfy for all-day wear, and it held its shape perfectly. Definitely a good purchase!

I was pretty happy with this Fix, although a little disappointed in the jeans. I was really hoping for some irresistible ones! :)

A couple of side notes about Stitch Fix:

You set your own price range, so don't think you'll get items equally as expensive or cheap as what I got here-- they really mostly stick to what you put in as your limit on things.

If you keep all 5 items they send, you get a 25% discount--which is awesome! But I've never been able to keep all 5, bummer.

When you refer a friend, you get a $25 credit. $25! That's a huge discount! (Which is why you should totally use my referral link [see link in 2nd paragraph] to sign up! hehe)

The more Fixes you get (generally), the more accurate they are to your personal style. When you checkout, you give feedback on each item--what you liked, what you didn't, and the stylists use that information when putting together your future Fixes. Awesome!

What do you think? Have you tried Stitch Fix? If not, will you? Which items would YOU have kept from my Fix?!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Hello, lovelies! I forgot to post my Fashion Friday post, so I'm sharing it today instead! I'm pretty proud of the accessorizing I've been doing (always a challenge for me)! Here are some of my fave outfits from the week!

I love wearing Lululemon to work! Here I dressed up my Post Power Crops with a white Portofino shirt (Express) and some nude flats. The bracelet is from Ashley Bridget and is my fave!

I LOVE this maxi I got from American Eagle! I paired it with a half-tucked Portofino from Express, my ivory watch, a pink studded bracelet I found at Schnucks for 50 cents, and a cluster of mixed metal bracelets, also from American Eagle!

I LOVE MINT! Have I mentioned that? ;) Mint Portofino from Express, white shorts by Kut From the Kloth (got em in my Stitch Fix), mint bracelet from Ashley Bridget (see link above!), ivory watch, and mixed metal bracelet + leaf necklace both from American Eagle! Sandals are from Payless.

This was my fave outfit! Definitely will be repeating. I wore my tan stripe slub knit top and white shorts, both from Express, mint bracelet and nautical knot bracelet, both from Ashley Bridget, and mixed metal combo bracelets from American Eagle. I also had a good hair day. ;)

So, YAY for accessories, right? HAHA! I'm having a lot of fun with them now that I'm making a little effort! :) How about you? What are some of your favorite accessories?

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Happy Tuesday, fitness friends! Hope your week has gotten off to a great start! I am OBSESSED with this weather we've been having here in the Midwest. (High of 70, WHAT?) I love sleeping with the windows open, so it has been just lovely!The past week was pretty great as far as my workouts are concerned. I was pretty off-point on my nutrition, though. I've been hungrier than usual, probably b/c PiYo has been kicking my A** so bad, and I've been sore almost everyday! But, that was no reason to eat as many chips as I ate last week! Back on track this week, though!Here's what I did!Monday was TURBO! Amazing class, huge calorie burn, as always!

I wore my Pinkelicious Speed Shorts from Lululemon,my neon yellow twistie tank from Underarmour, and my awesome new bra from Fabletics. This bra is SUPER supportive and comfy, but a nightmare to get off when you're sweaty. Be warned!

Tuesday I taught PiYo, and I mixed up a couple of sections for something new, just to keep it fresh, and WOW. So hard. My core was especially worn out by the end of this class. LOVE. IT!

I dressed uncharacteristically in all black, wearing my fave Roll Down Wunder Under crops from Lululemon, and my black Power Y tank from Lululemon. Comfy and flattering!

Wednesday I ended up taking a brisk 2-mile walk with Rowan instead of running. The weather was amazing and it felt great to just walk and chat with him through our neighborhood! After that, I had PiYo again. It was a great class, which was a huge relief after feeling so "off" last Wednesday!

I wore these awesome new mint capris from Glyder, and my Vintage Pink Flow and Go tank from Lululemon. I love this outfit, so it definitely will be making a ton of apperances!

Thursday I went for a 4-mile "fun" run! I didn't worry about pace. I listened to awesome tunes. I walked when I felt like it. I sang. I rapped. I might have even danced a bit. LOL! But it was glorious, and I felt great at the end! Definitely need more runs like this!

I still love seeing those negative splits!

I wore my grey and pink stripe Underarmour tank, and my black Speed Shorts from Lululemon. (Disclaimer: These shorts are SO comfy, but I have to use Body Glide on my legs to keep them from rubbing and chafing. Seriously. BodyGlide is a lifesaver. If you have thighs, you need some in your life.)

Friday I did yoga in my office on my lunch break. I did a power yoga class by Kathryn Budig from YogaGlo, and it was AWESOME! I felt amazing after! I am so happy to be incorporating more full yoga practices into my life. I need at least one per week.

I wore my fave new outfit again, and did one of my best Crow poses ever after the class was over!

Saturday was double PiYo day, which is still not getting any easier... I don't think it will. Honestly, it's probably too much, but I love both classes, and I can always take a nap after, so I am keeping it! I also kinda like the exhaustion when it's over. HA!Sunday was glorious glorious wonderful rest day. I moved as little as possible. :)Here's the plan for this week!Monday: Turbo + walk with Rowan (done!)Tuesday: PiYo + short, brisk walk with RowanWednesday: 2-mile run + PiYoThursday: 4-mile run or yoga at lunchFriday: 4-mile run or yoga at lunchSaturday: double PiYoSunday: REST!As I said, nutrition was pretty iffy for me last week, but so far so good this week! I have chopped salads with roast chicken or black beans for my lunches, and working hard to eat a reasonable amount for supper! We'll have black bean quesadillas, Greek salad with chicken and pita strips, breakfast for dinner (eggs, Eggos, sausage), and Maize Mexican takeout one night. Should be a good week!I'll be back later this week with another Fashion Friday post! Stay tuned!Have a lovely week! Cheers!xoxo,Julie

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Happy Tuesday! This feels like a Monday, so I'm calling today Second Monday. Never a good thing. ;)My week was pretty good as far as workouts last week. I did ok nutrition-wise, though I had a "hungry" week, so I felt like I was eating nonstop all week! Working to keep that in check this week! I'm going to try to do better about taking pics of my food, too! More on that later! :)Here's what I did!Monday was Turbo. We did a true HIIT workout, with Turbos (anaerobic drills) every 2 minutes or so, for about 20 minutes, then some recovery cardio, then HARDCORE ab work, and done! It was awesome. My class works SO hard, and I love it!

I wore my neon coral booty shorts and my pink and grey flowy tank, both from Underarmour. Love! I practiced a lil Pincha after class!

Tuesday I taught PiYo, still doing Round 34, but I switched out the Core & More section for a different one so that we can alternate each week. It was SO hard, I was sore all week from it! (Side Note: We did this section to a song called "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling. LOVE it, you must check it out!)

Wednesday I went for a 2-mile run, and since I have new running shoes, it was awesome! It really makes a huge difference!

After my run, PiYo time again! I felt like I was having an "off" day with teaching on this day. I'm not really sure why, but I powered through anyway, and hopefully no one noticed. ;)Thursday I did a 60-minute yoga class from YogaGlo, taught by Kathryn Budig, and it was AH-MAZING! I have GOT to make time for at least one full yoga class each week. It works wonders for the way I feel, and most importantly, my body image. I don't have an explanation as to why, but it does! After work, I practiced a couple of challenge poses I didn't have time or room for in my office. :)

So proud of this pose!

Friday I ran 4 miles! I'm trying to transition to having a rest day on Sundays, since I usually feel like a lazy bum after double-PiYo Saturday. ;) I intended to just go for a slow, "easy" run, but the weather was PERFECT, my new shoes felt amazing, and my playlist was AWESOME! So I ended up running a pretty fast pace! It was a GREAT workout! :)

I love to finish a run with "'Til I Collapse." I keep my steps on beat with the song, which ends up being a full-out sprint! Perfect way to finish strong!

Saturday was double-PiYo day! I was really tired getting up, but I always feel good once I get to the gym and get started! Both classes were great, and as usual, I was a puddle of wet noodles after. :)

I wore my grey striped Underarmour shorts, a white Lulu Scoop me Up Tank, and my Zing Pink Forme Jacket, also from Lululemon. Isn't this headstand cool? I was so surprised I could do it!

Saturday evening we had our engagement party/cookout, which was SO much fun (more about that later!), so Sunday's rest day was MUCH needed! I nursed a bit of a hangover, and just relaxed most of the day! Here's the plan for this week!Monday: Turbo Kick HIIT (done!)Tuesday: PiYoWednesday: 2-mile run + PiYoThursday: YogaGlo classFriday: 4-mile runSaturday: double PiYo!Sunday: rest

As far as meals, I have planned turkey sandwiches and hummus for lunches, and for dinner we will have leftover burgers with zucchini and corn on the cob, a Crab Risotto dish from Hello Fresh, tacos from Maize Mexican restaurant, and an extra dinner out this week with a super generous gift we received at our engagement party. :) What does your week look like? Have a great week!Cheers!xoxo,Julie

Friday, July 18, 2014

Happy happy Friday, friends! I love doing Fashion Friday posts. Maybe it means I'm vain? I dunno, but fashion is fun, so hopefully you enjoy reading them, too! (P.S. The style ideas you can get from Pinterest are AWESOME!)

Here are a few of my favorite outfits from the past week!

I got this beautiful blue blouse in my July Stitch Fix and I LOVE it! I wore it to the office with these long white shorts, also from Stitch Fix (brand is Kut From The Kloth) and sandals for a casual day! I love that they sent me something blue. I NEVER would've picked this out for myself, but I LOVE it! That's the fun of Stitch Fix!

Another StitchFix WIN! Isn't this skirt gorgeous? I am not a big fan of maxi skirts, but when I saw these colors, I knew I had to keep it. I struggled with how to style it but finally fell in love with this white tank and cardi combo. The cami is the best-loved cami from Express, and the cardigan was another Stitch Fix find!

For weekending, I am LOVING this mint + white combo! Top is a Portofino shirt from Express, and the shorts are Midi shorts from American Eagle. Necklace is also from AE!

Another favorite weekend look! Blouse is from StitchFix, and shorts are those America Eagle Midi shorts in khaki! (Can you tell where I get most of my clothes? HAHA!)

My favorite work outfit his week! This blouse was a birthday gift, another Portofino shirt from Express (I think I have like 10 of these now-- seriously, so versatile and classy!) and white Wide-Waistband Editor pants, also from Express. My open-toe nude pumps are from-- you guessed it-- Express! This top might be my favorite that I own. It goes with everything, and you can't go wrong with polka dots!

Clearly, I get most of my staples from 3 different places. I am loving Stitch Fix for getting me out of my comfort zone, but I love Express and AE for the staples you can never have too many of! They have great sales, so that doesn't hurt either.

I've been trying to be better about accessorizing, so I've been on the hunt for cute things! Tell me your favorite accessory!

So what are your thoughts on Fashion Friday? Does it interest you? Does it give you style ideas? Are you just tired of looking at my selfies? ;) And most importantly, what are you wearing? :D

Monday, July 14, 2014

Hello, my dears! Happy Monday! I'm not going to lie, Monday mornings are always pretty rough for me... I tend to stay up too late on Sundays, and then well, it's Monday. I'm super excited for the week ahead, and for next weekend, though, so that definitely eased the sting a little! I had a pretty good week of workouts last week! Here's what I did!Monday was TURBO day, and I had some new clothes I got for my birthday, so that made it even more fun! I love Round 59, and we did FOUR Turbo drills, so that was pretty nuts! Super fun, though! :)

Tuesday I taught PiYo, and we are doing a new Lesson (34), which I LOVE! It's such a total-body butt-kicker! I am always drenched and shaky after! Love that I can get it all done in 1 hour. (P.S. Did you know you can now do PiYo at HOME? Check it out here.) My class also worked super hard, which is just so motivating!

I wore my new Wunder Unders again (don't judge me!) my parallel stripe Energy bra (both from lululemon) and my new neon yellow tank from Underarmour. I also did a handstand! YAY!

Wednesday the weather was AMAZING, so I hurried out after work to get a quick run in before PiYo!

I wore my new awesome UA hat to keep the sun out of my eyes! Love it!

This is super fast for me!

PiYo was awesome, as always, though I don't usually teach the same Lesson twice in a row. Since this one is new, I did, and I definitely prefer not to do that!Thursday I rested. Friday I got up early and went for a 3-mile run. It was lovely to run in the quiet with no traffic and just me and the birdies. :)

This is also really fast for me, at 5:45am! :)

Saturday was double PiYo day. This is really hard for me with this new Lesson. I definitely need some R&R afterwards! After this week, I will go back to switching up the routines we do for each class.

When I got up, it was thundering and raining, and I did NOT wanna! Thank goodness it's my job. ;) I figured no one would even be there, but I walked at 7am in to a class of like 15! Crazy early birds! :) It was really fun, and really kept my energy up! The storm got worse, so the 8am class was pretty sparse compared to its usual size (I think we had 8). Those 8 were troopers for braving the rain, though, and we had another great workout! Sunday I had planned to run, but Rowan and I went grocery shopping, and went to several home improvement stores looking for a new gas grill, and by the time we finished all that, I was hot, sweaty, and tired, so I just ended up resting. I am thinking maybe Sunday needs to be my new rest day, since double PiYo Saturday is really kicking my ass! We'll see. Here's what I have planned for this week!Monday: Turbo + catchup on my yoga challenge poses (I'm like 5 days behind)Tuesday: run 2-3 miles + PiYoWednesday: PiYo Thursday: rest or run 3 miles + long stretchFriday: rest or run 3 miles + long stretchSaturday: double PiYo!Sunday: Slllooowww run/walk + yoga, or rest. (this will all depend on how I feel) For meals this week, I have tried to make it easy for myself to stay on track! (Not counting the cookies that remain from my baking frenzy yesterday! hehe)For lunch, I have 4 taco salads (I do not get sick of taco salad. Ever.) and I'll order a sandwich one day.

For supper, we will have jambalaya, salad with grilled peaches and steak or chicken (both courtesy of Hello Fresh), tacos from Maize, and breakfast for dinner. I still owe you that Hello Fresh review, too! Soon! :)

I cannot believe July is half over! Where is this summer going?! What do you lovelies have planned for meals and workouts this week? Chat with you soon! Thanks for reading! xoxo,Julie